About the artwork

Chun-Li - Street Fighter, artwork by Capcom

This drawing of Chun-Li was made by Akiman, the artist handle of Akira Yasuda. Akiman has been one of the first and most important artists for the Street Fighter video games. He worked for Capcom from 1985 until 2003 and went freelance after that. Akiman says in the book SF20: The art of Street Fighter that this illustration defined Chun-Li's final look. This is where Chun-Li got her famous puffy sleeves.

The Certificate of Authenticity for this Chun-Li print is signed by Street Fighter's Executive Producer Yoshinori Ono.

Street Fighter is one of the most influential video game series of the last couple of decades. The release of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior™ in 1991 started the nineties fighting game boom and with over 35 million copies sold the series has remained the focal point of the genre ever since. A genre that has come back fully in the mainstream with the arrival of the brilliant Street Fighter IV™ and of online play.

What makes Street Fighter II™ and the subsequent games so special? Street Fighter, like Mario or Tetris, is pure and quintessential video game. Impossible in any other form. It’s one-on-one fighting, accessible, showy and loud but played at the highest levels it has the depth of speed chess. Whoever sees skilled Street Fighter players in action sees a game that is not played on screen but in the minds of the players. Their goal has become giving their opponent bad choices. And much like chess the top players also have an active role in the development of the game, giving feedback on balancing and rules.

Juxtapozed with that deep gameplay is the aesthetic of the game. After 25 years this still breathes the atmosphere of teenage bedrooms and videogame arcades where the Street Fighter games and the games medium originated. This shows through in the art direction. Characters are archetypes that young men (women to a lesser extent) can easily identify with. Strong, fast, good or evil, these traits are instantly recognizable from the character designs. For every type of player there is character with a matching fighting style. The art is colorful and bold. Moves are exaggerated and flashy but never so that they obscure the gameplay. Many now recognized illustrators like Akiman, CRMK, Kinu Nishimura, Ikeno, Dai-Chan, Edayan and Shoei have worked on and lovingly evolved the Street Fighter aesthetic over a period of decades and through numerous technological changes. Together with the players they have made Street Fighter’s art iconic with characters and trademark moves that have become part of popular culture. While many would be contenders have fallen by the wayside, Street Fighter has endured.

Street Fighter games have a certain kind of video game magic. They are examples of almost perfect (videogame) design. You could say they're videogaming’s chess.

Other work by Capcom

Ryu vs Akuma

Super Street Fighter II Turbo Box Set

Street Fighter Bosses

More about Capcom

Capcom is one of the best known Japanese developers and publishers of video games, known for creating famous franchises such as Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry and Street Fighter. Originally established in 1983.